Hide & Seek - James Patterson [63]
His arms and legs were pinioned. He couldn't move a muscle. His face was smashed down onto the gritty concrete of the sidewalk. His nose was leaking blood. Then his legs were lifted off the ground like meat on a hook.
And he was really pounded. He was battered, kicked, butted, until he was sure that every bone in his body had been broken. Strangely, he welcomed the physical pain. It told him that he was alive, right?
His entire world was suddenly spinning out of control. It was all bright liquid red. Will felt he was falling, pitching forward into a black hole.
He was being left to die on the New York streets, wasn't he?
It wasn't so terrible, really.
He was just following in the footsteps of his father. He'd always known it would end like this.
Will Shepherd found dead in the street.
Strange, weird—his last thought, his final image was of the dog he'd killed years ago. He had loved that dog.
CHAPTER 73
THIS HAD TO BE a nightmare. It couldn't be anything else. I wasn't really awake, was I?
The Manhattan police came to my home around midnight. They broke the news politely, but their good manners and tact couldn't ease any of the pain. I had to sit down immediately. I thought I was going to pass out or maybe be sick. I was in a state of shock.
I finally was able to call Winnie Lawrence. He lived close by. The two of us went to St. Vincent's Hospital in New York.
I was permitted to see Will only briefly—he was sleeping, heavily sedated, his face swathed in heavy bandages. He looked horrible.
I felt as though I were in a dream. Whatever was happening, couldn't be. What had happened to the man I had married, the person I loved? This badly beaten person couldn't be Will!
We were approached by Detective Nicolo, the police officer who had come to Bedford with the news. I didn't want to talk to anyone, to see anyone.
“He's pretty beaten up, but it looks worse than it is,” said Nicolo. “The doctors say it'll be a couple of weeks before he can get out of the hospital. I'm sorry, Mrs. Bradford. We don't know how it happened. Or who did it. No witnesses have come forward.”
“He was supposed to start shooting a film yesterday,” Winnie Lawrence said.
“Good luck.” The detective smiled wryly. “If the part is Rocky V, he might be able to manage it okay.”
“Jesus!” Winnie said, and headed for a pay phone.
Detective Nicolo turned to me. He looked like Al Pacino, only with a larger hooked nose. His white hair was slicked back. “Do you have any idea why he might have been attacked, Mrs. Bradford? Do you know if he was with anyone last night?”
I shook my head. “I'm sorry. I don't, detective. I'm not myself right now. Sorry, sorry.” I fought back tears.
Nicolo clucked and nodded sympathetically. “He wasn't home with you last night then?”
“I expected him. He didn't show up.”
What was the detective implying? Why am I protecting Will? I wondered. Because he's my husband, and I love him.
“It'll be hard to find the men who beat him up.” Nicolo had taken out a black notebook; now he put it away. “If Mr. Shepherd can't describe them, there's not much we can do. I'll come back here as soon as he's able to talk. I'll stay in touch with you.”
He shook my hand and left, telling me to call him if I had any information. An agitated Winnie joined me in the waiting room.
“They're going to replace Will,” he said. “They say they can't afford to wait until he recovers from this. Whatever the hell happened to him?”
I shrugged, feeling numb and cold all over. It was neither good news nor bad. A frightening thought crossed my mind. I didn't know who my husband was.
“He'll be devastated about the film,” Winnie said.
“I don't know, Winnie.” I felt a wave of sadness, an overlay on my fatigue. “I think maybe he'll be relieved.”
CHAPTER 74
I DROVE BACK to Bedford with Winnie Lawrence. Our nursemaid, Mrs. Leigh, was there with the kids. Fortunately, everyone was still sleeping when I got home.
I didn't want to explain about Will; I wasn't sure that I could explain, that I understood.
I loved